West Ham United's manager, Gianfranco Zola, has admitted he was very disappointed with the comments from the club's owner, David Sullivan, following the defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers. In an open letter to fans posted on the club's official website yesterday, Sullivan, the joint-chairman, displayed his anger at the team's 3-1 home defeat, calling the performance "shambolic" and "pathetic".

Zola was less than impressed by the latest turn of events at Upton Park but insisted his full attention was on the game against Stoke tomorrow. "The owner is entitled to have his opinion and express it, because he is the owner," said the former Chelsea forward, appointed in September last year after Alan Curbishley's departure.

"However, when you use those words, you have to be very careful how you use them because sometimes they can be painful and cause more damage than you can imagine, and that could be the case. How will the players be feeling?"

Zola continued: "I was very disappointed and he will know that, although I have not spoken to him directly. It is not pleasant. But I am not going to retaliate or answer back. I will keep my focus on my job, I have a responsibility and will turn it into a positive thing for me and the players. I will keep my head down and focus on the job. Now we just have to focus on playing, and stop talking."

Chants of "You're not fit to wear the shirt" rang out around Upton Park during the crushing defeat on Tuesday by a side also looking to pull clear of danger. Afterwards the striker Carlton Cole was involved in an altercation with one disgruntled supporter following what was a fifth straight defeat and one which left the club just three points above the drop zone.

Both Sullivan and co-owner David Gold have called for the fans to get behind the team, a sentiment echoed by the Hammers manager. "I can understand the frustration of the fans, because the team is not doing what people expected," he said. "It is just about faith.

"But West Ham is our team and we have to be supportive for 90 minutes. After that, we can express an opinion if we have not done a good job. But when the players are on the pitch, we all have to be supportive and the players need to feel we are behind them."